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Dodge Charger 2006+

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Comments

  • jimhemijimhemi Member Posts: 223
    You're about the only one that likes this Charger on this message board at least.
    The Mustang kept a 2 door theme, remaining loyal to it's roots and fans. The new Ford GT-40 remained loyal to it's roots and reputation, even the Cobra, aside from a V10 is traditional with retro cues. Could a 4 door sell more? Does corporate greed out weight originality? In this case yes. If they stuck to original 99 concept car everyone would be at the Dodge dealer signing the pre order forms. They created an unoriginal car because they raided the parts bin of using the Magnum/300C platform and for the most part body. The Charger has the same nose and front doors of the Magnum, only they cut the roof and replaced it with with glass(fastback) and gave a trunk instead of the hatchback.
    Do we have to wait till the rumored Daytona comes out? Rumor is it's a 2 door. Will the rumored Challenger be coming back? I'm for calling this a Dodge Monaco and ending it. To use the name Hemi in that Charger is a sin.
  • corsicachevycorsicachevy Member Posts: 316
    I have a potential solution to problem some people have with using the storied Charger name on a new vehicle. My solution - don't use it. Instead, Chrysler should resurrect the Challenger name. Here's why:

    1. As revealed in the previous few posts people get very (overly?) emotional about the Charger name. There is a perception that a true Charger must look like a 1969 Charger and sport a big cube hemi or 440 six pack.

    2. The Challenger, to my eyes, was a much better looking car. It had sporty, clean lines on the outside and a purposeful, business-like interior.

    3. The vehicle that last used the Charger name left a very bad taste in the buying public's mouth. At least the Mitsubishi-based Challenger was a decent car.

    Just a thought, although, the Monaco name fits quite well, too.
  • corsicachevycorsicachevy Member Posts: 316
    http://www.classiccorvettes.com/view_photo.asp?ID=1550&image=- Exterior

    Here is a beautiful example of a 1974 Challenger. Chrysler should be proud of the name and apply it to an appropriate vehicle. The Charger name should be reserved for some brutish rocket with a supercharged, +400 cube Hemi - if something like that ever comes to fruition.
  • boredbored Member Posts: 300
    Compare the front end of the Magnum and Charger drawings. Sure they look similar, but they're far from the same. We really can't judge the two until we can see them, uncovered, side by side. I think it will sell well.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    No! Please, NO!

    As a former owner of a 1970 Challenger (it got stolen and stripped in 1985), I would not want that name sullied by the new "Charger". I've never been able to decide which of the older Chargers or the Challengers I liked the best, however, I don't think either name should be resurrected, at least not with the new car in question. Polara? Perfect! ;-) Monaco? Hmmm, maybe.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • etcarrolletcarroll Member Posts: 87
    I really like the Polara for this vehicle. If it shares the 300C/Magnum lineage it deserves a name rather than just an alpha designation. And the 'star' emblem from the old Polara would be a nice touch on this car.
  • itsnotachargeritsnotacharger Member Posts: 21
    Daimler has recently released a sketch of an orange '05 Dodge Charger.

    Some speculate that because the horrifying orange beast with the ridiculous big grill looks like a jack-o-lantern, or "The Great Pumpkin" from the Charlie Brown Halloween specials, that its launch date will in fact be Halloween.

    While this may be a laughing matter for Chrysler's competition, this abortion of automotive engineering will certainly scare many perspective customers away.

    Daimler's Dr. Dieter Zetsche should be slapped with a malpractice lawsuit for the Bait & Switch he has perpetrated by replacing the true heir to the Charger...the '99 Charger concept car...with "The Great Pumpkin."

    Good Grief Dieter Braun
  • jimhemijimhemi Member Posts: 223
    The new Polara I mean Charger? Would you have a link to the "Great Pumpkin"? I agree, Dieter needs to be brought up on charges for such an abomination to an automobile. The 99 concept made people stand up and take notice. It was innovative in design and concept. I was no fan of the super charged propane motor, but again concept, they have the Hemi. The 99 Charger with the 6.1Hemi to be put into the 300C SRT version sure would have been nice. With those looks and performance I wouldn't mind trying to take a few vettes here and their.
    Thank you Dieter for ruining the dreams of so many Mopar fans. How did this current Charger get your signature of approval? To much beer and weiner schnitzle?
  • itsnotachargeritsnotacharger Member Posts: 21
    In Daimler's Spin Zone..."The Detroit News"...Chrysler's design chief Trevor Creed is quoted as saying, "...If the Charger had lived, this is how I believe it would have evolved."

    Well then, someone should slap Charles Darwin because the depiction that I saw of the new Charger was a vile and grotesque mutation, not an evolutionary improvement upon the appealing lines and aggressive stance that were the Charger's origin.

    Instead of Mr. Creed bringing us "The Origin of Species," he has brought us "The Origin of Feces," because that is what his vision of the new Charger looks like.

    For the evolutionary process there has to be at least some of the original DNA present at the end of each change. In the case of the new Charger there is absolutely none.

    Instead, the common house fly has more in common with the American Bald Eagle than this new imposter vehicle has with the original Chargers. Furthermore, if this designer had been put in charge of the evolution of the dinosaurs, I would have voted for their extinction.

    Daimler's design department may have whiz kids, super computers and 3-D modeling, but I believe that they may have gotten better results using an "Etch-A-Sketch," a monkey and a bottle of Jim Beam." At the least it may have gotten them away from their apparent fixation with the Ford Maverick.

    Now in Singapore a person can be caned for spray-painting graffiti on automobiles. Tell me, what is the penalty for using a "Bait & Switch" routine: First, showcasing the exciting '99 Charger concept car, and then secondly, spreading graffiti across the muscle car heritage of the Chrysler Corporation and upon its loyal customers?

    In closing, I apologize to Mr. Creed if these comments appear too harsh, but on this day it is too difficult to restrain the tremendous disappointment that this former Daimler-Chrysler customer now feels.
  • hardhawkhardhawk Member Posts: 702
    After seeing the Charger pics I am certainly thankful I didn't wait for it. Went with the Magnum for the extra cargo room. The bonus is that NO ONE is offended at DCX for using the Magnum name on this new car. My Magnum looks SO much better than the less expensive Cordoba that wore the Magnum name before. The Charger name is special and should have been saved for a truly special car. By the way, I am 6'4" and I can see out of the Magnum just fine. I love it and it has so much room for the family and all their stuff.
  • dblagentdblagent Member Posts: 14
    Is everyone hating this car just because of the name? I like what I have seen so far of the car - as far as the name, how can this be any worse than how bad they allready screwed up the Charger name? They have many other names they can reuse if they wnat to so I don't see the problem. It can do no worse than the last Charger. Other than the name, what does everyone think?

    Please don't kill me for this by the way! ;)
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    "Please don't kill me for this by the way! ;)"

    Awright lads, pitchforks and scythes at the ready - GET 'IM!

    I can speak for me (unusual) and one or two others with a medium sense of history, I think. Yes, the name is a sticking point given the initial visual personality of the car. It doesn't look much like a Charger should, IMO.

    But that begs perspective, and I can furnish two small points of said same:

    A) Mustang. The car is a study in heritage. It is an appropriately updated gleening of key nostalgic styling cues brought together in a wholly current synthesis. It's an example of what retro can be at it's best, IMO (not unlike the PT). Others may think retro is a step backward; I say that depends on how well you do it, and right now Ford is aces. When many of us heard the name "Charger" being whispered once again, the excellent Mustang execution kind of popped in and the saliva started to flow.

    B) '99 Charger Concept. This dovetails perfectly to Mustang, IMO. The concept on the show circuit (and the Dodge website, BTW) from 1999 to earlier this year was exactly that kind of retro embodied in the new Mustang. The cues were more or less unmistakable and the design was so well synthesized that you had to look carefully to see that it was a four-door. When we heard "Charger", we (I) thought of this concept paired with Mustang-like execution and got positively sweaty!

    That's the problem I think. Feels like a major bait and switch to me. They dangled fresh Beluga caviar on Melba toast in front of me and delivered Cheez-Whiz on a Ritz. It may be seriously wicked Cheez-Whiz, but it ain't what I was looking for at all.

    That's about it for me! ;)
  • hardhawkhardhawk Member Posts: 702
    For me, I just don't care for the looks of the Charger. However, some don't like the look of the Magnum that I like, so to each his/her own on that issue. Also, the Charger was always a sport coupe in it's heyday, which is what I remember as a kid in the 60's and 70's. So, that name on a sedan does not do it for me. Had it been put on a retro sporty new coupe with the Hemi engine and other performance bits, I would not have the same objections.
  • wale_bate1wale_bate1 Member Posts: 1,982
    Aside from the Ram grille, the Magnum is tops with me. If I needed a machine anywhere near that big, I'd look it over seriously.

    Basically, it's hard to disagree in part with you, hardhawk. A coupe would have been more palatable than this sedan, but for me, the '99 "sedan" would have been better (much) still. It's just so much more "Charger" to me.

    The current idiom for Dodge and Chrysler is just a little too chunky and in-your-face to make me want to see it across the line. I'll accept it to a certain extent in the 300 and the Mag, but to apply it liberally seems too Cadillac-wannabe. Kind of trying too hard to be different, which is pretty common out there right now...
  • itsnotachargeritsnotacharger Member Posts: 21
    Daimler has recently released a sketch of an orange '05 Dodge Charger.

    Some speculate that because the horrifying orange beast with the ridiculously overbearing grill looks like a jack-o-lantern, or "The Great Pumpkin" from the Charlie Brown Halloween specials, that its launch date will in fact be Halloween.

    While this may be a laughing matter for Chrysler's competition, this abortion of automotive engineering will certainly scare many perspective customers away.

    Daimler's Dr. Dieter Zetsche should be slapped with a malpractice lawsuit for the Bait & Switch he has perpetrated by replacing the true heir to the Charger...the '99 Charger concept car...with "The Great Pumpkin."

    Good Grief Dieter Braun
  • odmanodman Member Posts: 309
    I'm about to blow all the turkey I've spent the past two days eating.

     

    They should have gone with the '99 concept. I can live with it being a 4-door, but I can't live with it being ugly.

     

    Thanks for the excellent post, Oedipus. I wish it made me happier.
  • fsmmcsifsmmcsi Member Posts: 792
    People have different tastes, but who really thinks that the competition (Five Hundred/Montego, Impala, Camry, Accord, Altima, La Crosse, Crown Victoria) are beautiful, especially when viewed from the front? To me, the side and rear views of the Charger are very nice, and it certianly will be very serious competition for those other, mostly front wheel drive cars which offer less interior space and the poorer handling and braking inherent in front wheel drive designs.

     

    I once owned a 1970 AMX, which was sold to buy a 1979 Trans-Am, but have no urge to go out and buy either of them now. The times I have driven such old cars reminded me of how primative they are compared to modern designs.

     

    The new Mustang is clearly a success and a good car, but the Charger name is far less well known, and the market for sedans is far larger than for two-door specialty cars.
  • corkfishcorkfish Member Posts: 537
    Yeah it has a couple of extra doors, but I think it does have a resemblance to the original Charger of the mid 60's. I like it. A grown man can drive it without feeling silly.

     

    http://www.ssmoparmuscle.com/cars/66_67charger.htm
  • jimhemijimhemi Member Posts: 223
    Well I'm glad you like the new Charger and Dodge will certainly hope that many people like you do. As for me and the loyal Mopar people I'm not buying one unless they offer the 99 concept car at some later date. The new Mustang and the Ford GT40 did there homework and looked at what the fans and the buyers wanted. To simply make a fast back 300C or a Magnum without the hatch and call it a Charger is sacreligious to the namesake. I know we all remember the Chargers and Daytonas of the 80's and that was a different time, hello K CAR. Chrysler should have done more market research and asked some of its many loyal owners and fans on what to do with the Charger.

    This is simply a marketing ploy to sell T-shirts for NASCAR because this is one ugly car, and a 4 door at that. I was hoping that the pics we all were seeing were maybe a "fool ya" attempt by mother Mopar so that when the real thing was released we would all plotz our pants, but as we can all see from the pics floating around the net and on t. v. Chrysler has decided to give us a 4 door Dart called a Charger. Thanks Chrysler for killing the hopes of having a wild, tire burning muscle car. I hope in an effort to save pennies with your parts bin special you may make a profit compared to your competition. As for me I will be waiting for the Mustang Cobra to come out and happily pay what ever Ford is asking, because in this case even the mighty Hemi has been tarnished with this atrocity you call the Charger.
  • turboshadowturboshadow Member Posts: 338
    It really doesn't look too bad. I really disliked it at first. Maybe it grew on me. that would explain why they are showing it so early.

     

    Turboshadow
  • jimhemijimhemi Member Posts: 223
    Again, this is what Dodge should have done. How come Popular Hot Rodding got this right?

    http://www.popularhotrodding.com/features/0404phr_dodge/

    This car will never grow on me, to unoriginal, seems like the "bean counters" got there way with this car.
  • enygma6enygma6 Member Posts: 35
    I can't wait to see the final design for the new Charger. I'll be in Detroit sometime in the next 2 weeks to see its triumphant return in person. :)
  • chrisducatichrisducati Member Posts: 394
    I just wondered into this discussion. As a child my grand parents always drove some sort of chrysler product be it a Dodge or Plymouth. I like most people that were around this companies cars at the time of the original Charger, they remember them with well. Fast, comfortable and sometime quirky. Chocolate brown paisley vinyl roof on your Gran Fury anyone? The new car, apart for the grill looks good to me. (I have always hated the cross bar grill). I understand and agree with the name problem. It is hard to think of a Charger as a 4 door. But think about the 80's and how the name went on the Omni 024 which was in turn based on a captured French Simca. So Now we have a 4 door based on a captured German MB. If Chrysler were to listen carefully they might decide to pull another name out of the past. How about Coronet, Polara, Monaco or even the little remembered Custom line. End the end we all know that all the moaning we do will mean little to them. So... HEY...that is a cool er Charger
  • bovkunbovkun Member Posts: 1
    I cant believe it. The Charger is comming back. That is one of the best looking, designed, reliable cars I have ever seen. Love it, cant wait. Great jod Dodge/Chrysler!!!!
  • cmyers300mcmyers300m Member Posts: 206
    DC should of stuck with the concept version. For those of you here that may not have seen it, I believe you can still see it on the Dodge website under concept vehicles.

    The concept version of the Charger was stunning. A perfect blend of past with present(like the new Mustang). I would of bought it in a heartbeat, but now, it seems it is an abomination of other DC cars. In fact, I read that Dodge engineers were forced to use parts from the 300C bin in order to save money. So sad, I think DC blew it. I won't say that the new one is ugly, just not near as good as the concept promised.
  • design4cardesign4car Member Posts: 3
    The Charger sets back auto engineering about 35 years. It is nothing more than a circa 1969 gas guzzling, rear drive V8, station wagon.
  • design4cardesign4car Member Posts: 3
    oops, I was referring to the Magnum. But the same could be said about the Charger, only change 'station wagon' to read 'sedan'.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    time, again...is the Charger just the Dodge downscale cheaper version of the Chrysler 300C, still equipped with the Hemi, but w/o all the super nice interior goodies (super sound system, 10 way power seats, great leather, and, for all those who actualy care, the status of a Chrysler vs the working-class image of a Dodge), or is it actually a new, separate model on its own???...if different, then new reviews of the product are warranted, but if not, then it does not pay to review it, any more than you would review a Crown Victoria and the next weel review a Grand Marquis...
  • grnarngrnarn Member Posts: 2
    I sorta like the charger but i aint seen it in real life or the interior yet but i wonder what pricing will be. aside :the chrysler 300 deoesnt have 10way pwrseats or if it does my friends 300c doesnt have it on there
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  • sorensoren Member Posts: 1
    That is very true. They should just leave it as a coupe. Like everyone else in north American wants it. That is why it will sale nearly as well as they want. update the original they should do just like FORD that mustang is awesome and selling like fast we have 4 ford dealership that can not keep them long they sell why too fast. But oh well I guess we will forget about Dodge and hope that chevy well bring the old back to new and so then dodge will be just like ponatic with that gto it is not selling well cause they did not think about the people wants and needs cause if they wanted to make money they would have thought about it first.
  • iowabigguyiowabigguy Member Posts: 552
    I remember the Dodge charger when it was new. It was a typical Dodge with a plastic interior that the color seemed different on each panel. The flash from the molding process still on the edges. It went straight real well but that was about it. It had too much horsepower for its suspension and especially its brakes.

     

    You could call this new Charger the "Princess" or the "Queen Mary" and it would still be a quantum leap over the original.

     

    I could have had the original when I was younger and past it over for a Mercury Cougar GTE. It may have been a Ford but at least the interior colors matched.

     

    I have been driving Mopar products since I bought my 93 Dakota and have worked my way up to a Hemi Ram. I know what my next vehicle will be and it will have 4 doors, I love this Charger! Face it, the majority of buyers want a 4 door. The market is not there to support a 2 door in the volume needed to be profitable. No someone will say "What about the Mustang? Its a 2 door" Yes it is! You will be seeing lots of them receding in the rear view mirror of your 4 door Hemi Charger too!
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,272
    My first car was a 73 Charger, so the nameplate does hold alot of affection for me, but in the face of current realities of the market, I'm not offended by seeing the Charger name on a sedan. Some of the sportiest cars out there are sedans now and we've already seen the Charger name affixed to lackluster cars like the Cordoba and Omni/Horizon.

     

    I know that Dodge is pushing the corporate gun-sight grill, but I wish that they could have put a few more Charger cues on the front end of the car. When I see it, I think Magnum rather than Charger.
  • jimhemijimhemi Member Posts: 223
    Ask the people of Cleveland what's in a name when they lost their beloved Browns.

    For those that haven't seen it, the official Charger is on the Dodge website, and is just as ugly as ever.

    As for the four door, could this be a ploy to step back into selling fleet vehicles to the law enforcement agencies across the country? Faster then a Vic or Caprice, better handling, what cop wouldn't want to fly up the fast lane with a HEMI? Good for cops, the ugly shape is bad for true Charger fans. Still should have been called a Dodge Monoco, or Polara. See you Thursday Burke Brown.
  • gearhead4gearhead4 Member Posts: 122
    Okay, I'm a cranky old timer who passed his first drivers license exam in 1969, but the name Charger should not be placed on this new 2006 DC vehicle.

    I liked the 1999 concept Charger with 4 doors because it reminded me of my first Charger (1968). That Charger was light on it's feet- you could order it with a 225 slant six if you wanted, and it would still chirp the bias ply tires. Order it with a Hemi and the tires it needed were not even born yet.

    These days I like a four door, but it doesn't have to look like that slab sided turkey that is sold as Charger today.

    DC needs to pay attention to us nostalgic middle agers, because we have the cash to buy a new car or buy an 35 old car and restore it.
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,272
    I agree with you. I saw the concept car at the show a few years ago and that said "Charger" with a capital C!!! This car says Magnum sedan. It has far less cues from the old Charger than the concept car had.

     

    While I think that they devalued the Charger name already with rebadged Cordobas and Omnis, I don't know why they backed off of the concept car and made it less Charger like. Maybe they're fearing a retro car backlash? GM keeps screwing up the retro formula with the SSR and HHR, but based on the reception of the Mustang, it can still work when done right.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    Certainly not the buyers in my age group (under 30) that offer manufacturers many more year of vehicle purchases than those who cannot bear to see the Charger name affixed to this stunning vehicle.

     

    The 300C is ugly as sin, in my opinion, but this is a tough lookign, goes like hell muscle sedan and it doesnt pretend to be classy (which the 300 doesnt really pull off, IMO, it looks really PIMP).

     

    I am not typically a fan of retro-detrout vehicles, but this and the new Mustang are AWESOME.
    I cannot wait to see this vehicle in the flesh, I hope the interior is well constructed with quality materials, I would look long and hard at this.

     

    ~alpha
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,272
    Don't be so full of yourself, alpha. I'm 36 and have fond memories of the Charger nameplate not because I loved it when it was new but because there were still plenty of badass examples around when I was in HS.

     

    It's not only the over 60 crowd that doesn't want to see vaunted nameplates devalued. Even at 36, I've got a few new cars left in me.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    My only point is that calling it a Charger (or not) does not change that it has serious potential to embody the American muscle car. I think its going sell, and strongly. And I hope so, its good to see Chrysler on a roll.

     

    If it is an excellent muscle car, will people really NOT buy it simply for the fact that the name is not attached to the exact type of vehicle they remember wearing that badge? Time will tell.

     

    ~alpha
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    Also, gsemike, I apologize to you if you thought my comments came off as full of myself. That said, the target market for this vehicle (as stated by Chrysler) is "trendsetting, young affluent males with incomes from $65,000 - $90,000. Customers looking for the thrilling ride and handling characteristics of a sports car, but with the added convenience of a functional, five passenger vehicle, will be able to experience the best of both with the 2006 Dodge Charger."

     

    My thinking is that the youger males that Chrysler is targeting... dont have strong connotations of the Charger name in conjunction with the old cars.

     

    ~alpha
  • andyman73andyman73 Member Posts: 322
    Well, I'm only in the 50K+ income range, and this car floats my boat. May have to wait until year end clearance to get one on discount, but will still definitely give it a shot.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    Same with me, not quite that range yet, but really intrigued by this car.

     

    ~alpha
  • gsemikegsemike Member Posts: 2,272
    Your assumption that Chrysler's description means "under 30" is flawed and the secondary assumption that everyone under 30 won't care about the heritage of the nameplate is flawed.

     

    Really, who's more likely to hit that $65k to $90k range... males under 30 or 31 to 39? Probably 31 to 39 and we're more likely to hold the Charger name in esteem. I don't mind that it's a 4 door car. Some of the sportiest cars on the road are 4 doors but this car has lost most of it's Charger design cues that were present on the concept car. This is a Magnum sedan.

     

    I'm also not that sure that Chrysler is on a roll. It's takes more than 1 hit (the 300) recycled multiple times (Magnum, Charger, Lord knows what else) to be on a roll. The Pacifica, Crossfire, and PT Convertible have not been flying out of showrooms and they still don't have a competitive product in the all important mid-size class.
  • carqwikcarqwik Member Posts: 4
    While I agree that Dodge has resurrected an old nameplate and tacked it on to an LX platform vehicle that may offend MOPAR purists, it simply doesn't matter...this car will sell. Most buyers will recall the Charger name and not the details of the former muscle car. Frankly, I think DCX was brilliant in bringing out a "performance" version of the Chyrsler 300 at a slightly lower price point with revised body styling under the Dodge brand. It will appeal to a slightly younger audience than the 300 and will be a bit more affordable although I think the age and income band of buyers will be larger than DCX suspects.

     

    This car will steal buyers from mostly the two other domestics (GM and Ford). Also, in a weird way, there is possibly a group of luxury import purchase intenders that will consider this as a purchase choice. This will be men in their late-40's to 50's who've had the luxury rides, don't like the styling of the new Bimmers or Lexus, and realize they have better things to do with their money than pay through the nose for import sedans which don't offer the power and feel of the Hemi.
  • billybadbillybad Member Posts: 1
    Took a look at the Dodge web site and the New 2006 Charger. The styling did nothing for me. Looks too much like the Magnum and the Chrysler 300 which are too boxy and looks more like an 80's sedan than something to remember the muscle car era. Nothing like the charger show car and does not do the Charger name any justice. And what is the deal with the four box grill on every Dodge.. Every car starts looking like the RAM trucks....
  • ravenoneravenone Member Posts: 20
    Can anyone tell the Board about the cost ranges for the new Charger?

     

    Thank you
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    Dude I couldnt agree with you more, especially:

     

    "While I agree that Dodge has resurrected an old nameplate and tacked it on to an LX platform vehicle that may offend MOPAR purists, it simply doesn't matter...this car will sell. Most buyers will recall the Charger name and not the details of the former muscle car"

     

    ~alpha
  • mopar4lifemopar4life Member Posts: 1
    I have pretty much read every angle there is about "The 2006 Charger" and I have come to a few conclusions:

     

    There is no doubt a group of hardocore Mopar/Chrysler Purists (myself included) that are dealing with this "new" Charger and what it means to the loyalists of the Chrysler/Mopar/DC brand. I have owned several Mopar Muscle Cars including a few Chargers, so I think I know where alot of the Mopar Faithful are coming from.

     

    I couldn't agree more that the "Charger" name carries with it a legacy that made Chrysler Corp. famous for it's prescence on the muscle car scene back in the 60's and 70's. Through all the variations of the car, each variant of the Charger namesake has it's fans. You cannot deny that there are those who very much liked the 70's "plush Chargers" as well as those Turbo 2.2 Shelby Charger GLHS that Shelby himself produced. With that in mind, and knowing that those who embrace the original Chargers of '66-'74 are a strong and large number of fans as well, it's not hard to try and imagine that there will be those who will embrace this car and make it their "favorite" Charger.

     

    I remain tossed up about using the Charger name on a four door sedan and that uncertainty comes from some of the styling elements on this new '06 model. While the basic idea of making the car look like a coupe is admirable and in fact the rear flanks appearing attractive, I have reservations about the front end styling, in particular, Dodge's famous signature "truck" grille. I have to say that even though the rake of the front end appears agressive and with even the headlights giving it strong character, I am troubled by Dodge's insistence on using this "truck style" grille as signture on all Dodge products. In the Charger's case, it seems to muddle the message a bit. Perhaps DC should consider modifying this styling element once and for all, and instead give the passenger cars, starting with the future refreshing of the Charger a few years down the road, with a new face for Dodge Cars.

     

    All in all, I give DC credit for being brave in introducing this car as it stands and despite my concerns, I would consider one. I can understand that we are not in the 60's anymore, but it would be nice to have some additional touches to make this Charger something special from the other LX platforms. I think that is what most people are/were/still may be hoping for.

     

    You have to give Ford credit for standing out there and making a very good retro 'stang and you also have to remeber DC, that while this Charger might be a sales hit and a sedan that Dodge Dealers really want to sell, you have to remember that there are some real strong loyalists out there to the MOPAR brand that have been waiting for DC to do at least "one" car for us to relish and recapture the spirit in performance, style and price that made us those hardcore loyalists that we still are today.

     

    Might we see some variant of the LX platform? Despite marketing research and current trends, might we see a LX derived coupe of this Charger? I've seen mock up photos of a 300C coupe, so it can't be out of the realm. I believe if DC thinks carefully about it, goes against the grain of automotive trends and reaches down to the loyalists hopes, might they find it worthy to make even a small run of an honest 2 door RWD Hemi Chryslers/Dodges/DC's? Perhaps a Charger, maybe a new day Challenger or Cuda? Make 15-30,000 copies and see if all Us holdouts weren't right about waiting? You might be surprised DC!

     

    Until then, I think we should all be glad that DC at least has brought back some of that MOPAR essence. Sorry this was long, but I have been brewing on this for a long time now. Despite it all, Count me in DC!
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
    That would be a good question for Mr. Brown at this evening's chat - hope you can make it!

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